Finding the Clinical Need Hiding in Plain Sight: Interview with LightForce CEO Alfred Griffin
From Medsider: Learn from Medtech and Healthtech Founders and CEOs by Scott Nelson
May 4, 2026 · 51 min
About this episode
Alfred Griffin discusses the intersection of technology and orthodontics, emphasizing the importance of addressing clinical needs and operational design in scaling new medical innovations.
In this episode of Medsider Radio, we sat down with Alfred Griffin , co-founder and CEO of LightForce . LightForce is the developer of the world's first fully customized 3D-printed bracket system directly personalized for each patient's digital treatment plan. Alfred holds a DMD and PhD in Craniofacial Biology from the Medical University of South Carolina and completed his orthodontic residency at Harvard School of Dental Medicine, where he currently serves as faculty and the Board of Fellows. An ABO-certified practicing orthodontist, he continues to see patients every month while running the company. In this interview, Alfred shares how applying existing technology to an overlooked market can unlock a larger opportunity, how adoption friction is a design problem, and why scaling a new category requires treating operations as a core product investment. Before we dive into the discussion, I wanted to mention a few things: First, if you’re into learning from medical device founders and CEOs and want to know when new interviews are live, head over to Medsider.com and sign up for our free newsletter. And if you’re ready to level up your medtech game, you should check out Medsider…
People in this episode
Host: Scott Nelson
Guest: Alfred Griffin
Topics covered
- 3D printing
- orthodontics
- medical technology
- entrepreneurship
- clinical innovation
Keywords
- 3D-printed brackets
- clinical need
- medtech
- entrepreneurship
- scaling operations
- orthodontics
- LightForce
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: LightForce, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina
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